Failure to honour cash-out offers led to player missing out on $380,000
Penn Entertainment subsidiary Score Media and Gaming has been fined CA$200,000 for failing to honour cash-out offers in Ontario.
The penalty announced on Tuesday by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) relates to a $1,000 bet that was placed on March 14, 2025.
The multi-leg parlay bet had the potential to pay out more than $1 million and after all but one of the legs were successful, theScore presented the player with a cash-out offer of approximately $380,000.
Despite the player immediately accepting the cash-out offer, theScore rejected the transaction during automated verification after the odds changed.
Four minutes later theScore presented the player with another cash-out offer, this time for $100,000, which was again immediately accepted.
This cash-out offer was also not honoured, with the bet ultimately settled as a loss for the player.
The AGCO found that neither cash-out offer was achievable as presented to the player, in breach of internet gaming standards which require that information provided to players before and during gameplay does not mislead or misrepresent.
“Operators have a responsibility to ensure that the gaming opportunities they present are accurate and can be honoured as described,” said AGCO chief executive Karin Schnarr. “As the regulator, the AGCO is committed to holding operators accountable when they fail to uphold commitments made to players or otherwise mislead them about gaming opportunities.
“By imposing the maximum monetary penalty available, we are sending a clear message that these expectations are not optional.”
The AGCO added that regulatory action by the Commission is separate to any other avenues available to players to seek resolution of individual disputes.
Shares in Score Media and Gaming parent Penn Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:PENN) closed 5.36 per cent higher at $15.91 per share in New York Tuesday.